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As obsessive readers and fans of dismissing quality movies as inferior to their literary counterparts, it's important for us to know which books will head to the big screen ahead of time. How else will we know how Wild Reese will be, or what is going to happen to Peeta? Be reasonable. We've decided to use our research for the good of society and share the adaptations coming soon that we are most excited for.
1. The Spook's Apprentice - Joseph Delaney (Seventh Son)
Thomas Ward (Ben Barnes) is the seventh son of the seventh son, which gives him the ability to see things that others cannot: ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, and the like. He becomes an apprentice to John Gregory, the Spook (Jeff Bridges). Julianne Moore is set to play Mother Malkin, one of the most sinister witches who uses blood magic, luring young runaway women into care before sucking their blood to maintain her youth, who was then imprisoned by the Spook. Kit Harington and Djimon Hounsou also star.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, in case you somehow didn't know, are stepping into the roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey for the adaptation of the incredibly successful erotic novel. Steele, a literature student, interviews Grey as a favor to her roommate, but quickly becomes entranced by this brilliant and handsome man who is unable to resist her. He admits his desire, but on his own terms; this is a man with a need to control everything. This is also probably going to be the movie with a bunch of heavy-breathing sweaty middle-aged women trying to control themselves in the theater. You've been warned.
3. In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick
The last time Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth teamed up, they brought us one of the best films of 2013, Rush. Now, they're at it again (along with Cillian Murphy and Benjamin Walker) with this story of a whaleship attacked by one angry whale, leaving the crew shipwrecked and stranded for 90 days, thousands of miles from land. The true story inspired a little book by Herman Melville (played in the movie by our favorite, Ben Whishaw) entitled Moby-Dick.
4. The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith (Carol)
W. W. Norton &amp; Company
Patricia Highsmith, author of successful novels-turned-movies like Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley (we're choosing to ignore the recent The Two Faces of January here), wrote The Price of Salt, which will be released as 'Carol.' The novel itself, controversial for its lesbian content and unprecedented gay happy ending, is said to have inspired Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Sarah Paulson, with Far From Heaven and I'm Not There director Todd Haynes helming.
5. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Shaye Areheart Books
Gone Girl author brings us yet another chilling thriller. A young girl is the sole survivor of a massacre that leaves both of her sisters and her mother dead in an apparent Satanic cult ritual. She testifies against her brother, but 25 years later, she begins to investigate the actual events. Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nicholas Hoult, and Christina Hendricks star.
6. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson
HarperCollins Publishers
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants director Ken Kwapis is set to direct Bryson's memoir, starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. The hilarious book describes Bryson's attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz. Emma Thompson and Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman will also star.
7. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
As conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows, a war looms for Divergent's post-apocalyptic Chicago. In this sequel, we're still following Shailene Woodley and Theo James' Tris and Four as they try to understand the reasons for Erudite's insurrection and obtain information the Abnegation are trying to protect. Kate Winslet, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller return in their supporting roles, and are joined by some all-star names: Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, and Suki Waterhouse.
8. Serena - Ron Rash
The dynamic duo of mega-nominated movies Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle are back at it! Bradley Cooper plays a man trying to maintain his timber empire during the Depression, while Jennifer Lawrence plays his wife who discovers she can't have children. For some reason, we're a little terrified of JLaw in this movie from the trailer.
9. Silence - Shusako Endo
Taplinger Publishing Company
This 1966 novel about a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan where he endures persecution is set to be adapted by Martin Scorsese. It will also have an all star cast of Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, and Adam Driver.
10. The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks
The producers of The Fault in Our Stars, the author of The Notebook, and the hottest Hollywood son around, this movie already has us in love with it. Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson play two lovers and there's a rodeo or something; we don't really know, we were just thinking about how much this movie will make us cry. Time to read the book.
11. Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg tackles Thomas Hardy's novel. Carey Mulligan stars as Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who has too many men in love with her and of course rejects them all until she falls for one. Three men, played by Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone), and Tom Sturridge (On The Road), all after this woman: who will she end up with? We actually just read the plot description and had everything spoiled and somehow still gasped and cried at those three paragraphs. Why didn't we know about this book before?!
12. Paper Towns - John Green
Dutton Books
The Fault in Our Stars author John Green's next book to be adapted by the same team who adapted TFIOS (Scott Neustadter &amp; Michael H. Weber). Margo and her adventures are legendary at her high school, and Quentin ("Q") has always loved her for it. Margo climbs through his window and demands he take an all night road trip of revenge, but when she goes missing the next day, Q realizes she's left clues for him and promptly hits the road again in search of her. Cara Delevingne will play Margo and TFIOS' Nat Wolff will play Q.
13. The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge - Michael Punke
Carroll &amp; Graf Publishers
Academy Award-nominated Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, 21 Grams, Biutiful) is set to direct Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in this adaptation. Partially based on the life of fur trapper Hugh Glass. Leo will play Glass, who is mauled by a bear, then later robbed and left for dead by his companions. He survives and sets out for revenge against those same men.
14. The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
Faber and Faber
A one-hundred-year-old woman, Roseanne McNulty, in a mental hospital for about 50 years decides to retrace her history. As the hospital faces demolition and he must choose which of his patients should be transferred and which should rejoin the community, Dr. Grene also tries to discover her history. What they find is very different, though there are some consistencies. Vanessa Redgrave and Rooney Mara will play Roseanne McNulty, Eric Bana will play Grene, with Theo James also starring.
15. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Penguin Classics
An oft-adapted novel, Mary Shelley's classic is to be turned into yet another film, this time directed by Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Push). The updated version, titled Victor Frankenstein, will be told from the perspective of the doctor's assistant, Igor. The film will explain how the doctor became the man who created the legendary monster. Daniel Radcliffe will play Igor and James McAvoy will play Victor Frankenstein.
16. The Martian - Andy Weir
Crown Publishing Group
Described as Cast Away meets Apollo 13, the novel follows an astronaut stranded on Mars, fighting to survive (which also sounds mildly like Gravity to us, no?). Ridley Scott is set to direct a pretty stellar (no pun intended) cast here: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Kate Mara, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. This sounds like a great movie already, but we'll have to wait until November to see it.
17. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling
Macmillan Publishers
Walt Disney Pictures is working on this live-action/CGI mash-up of the classic book, directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Chef), with a mind-bogglingly incredible cast. Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito will provide voices, while newcomer Neel Sethi will play Mowgli.

HBO
Just when it looks like things might start to look up for Tyrion, Gregor Clegane crushes someone's skull with his bare hands.
Oberyn Martell is dead, lying on the ground with blood pouring out of his skull and his eyes completely gouged out, leaving Jaime and Ellaria Sand in shock and Tyrion's life hanging in the balance. It's a depressingly fitting ending to a fight in which Oberyn's flipping and twirling seemed to have the leg up on Gregor's brute strength, but just when his victory and Tyrion's justice seemed to be in reach, everything came crashing down in one swift, violent motion. After all, this is Westeros, and power is what guarantees you a victory, no matter how much passion and skill you have on your side.
The outcome of the trial by combat is tragic for several reasons: in addition to losing one of the season's most entertaining characters and sentencing Tyrion to death, it also means that Oberyn has failed at avenging the death of his sister, the reason he came to King's Landing in the first place. Like Inigo Montoya on steroids, he twirled his spear around his head, taunting the Mountain into admitting his guilt and revealing that Tywin Lannister gave the orders to have Elia killed. His unfailing loyalty to his sister was Oberyn's defining and most interesting characteristic — it made him a wild card in King's Landing — but it was also his undoing. He became so caught up in justice for Elia, in forcing Gregor to confess to what he did and forcing Tywin to own up to her death that he lets his guard down for one terrible second.
Game of Thrones is a show about power and loyalty, and the consequences that come with them. For all that the show preaches the importance of honoring your promises and remaining loyal to the people you have sworn fealty to, it's been just as quick to point out the dangers of blind loyalty and trusting people without question. As the fight goes on and Oberyn's chanting becomes more and more impassioned, it seems as if he will take down the Mountain and Elia will finally be avenged, but it is precisely that all-consuming passion that distracted him long enough to allow Gregor to get back up. To have Oberyn defeated by a character who has no loyalty whatsoever, who is willing to fight for anyone who can pay him is an extra harsh blow, as the series' most devoted character destroyed by brute strength that has been sold to the highest bidder.
As if that weren't enough, the fight also effectively sends Tyrion to the gallows for a murder he didn't commit. A character who has only ever been loyal to himself, Tyrion has now been brought to his knees by putting his faith in other people. First, his love of Shae and attempts to protect her got him a trial by combat in the first place, and then, Oberyn's desire for revenge — the very thing that made him such an appealing champion in the first place, as he both understood Tyrion and wouldn't give up against the Mountain — sentences him to death.
But King's Landing isn't the only place getting a crash course in fidelty. Over in the Vale, Sansa decides to ally herself with Petyr Baelish, testifying on his behalf in front of the council and showcasing everything she's learned she first set off for the Capitol all those years ago. Petyr maintains that Lysa Arryn's death was a suicide, playing up her mental instability and using her erratic behavior to his advantage. However, he still needs Sansa to carry out the plan effectively, and she does exactly what he needs, but in such a way that it will protect her in the long run.
HBO
After admitting to the council that she's not Alayne Stone, but Sansa Stark, and thus winning favor from those who were loyal to her father and Winterfell, she peppers her lies with just enough truth so as to make them believable, a strategy that she previously used on Lysa herself. As Sansa's tearful testimony is intercut with shots of Petyr watching his ward put his advice into action, the drastic change that has just taken place is just as obvious her as it is when she swans down the stairs later in the episode. More than anyone else, Sansa's story exemplifies the message of Game of Thrones, and she's learned to play the game as well as people who have spent years manipulating and scheming their way through Westeros. If she needs to protect herself by siding with one of the least trustworthy people in the Seven Kingdoms, she'll do it, and if she needs to cry and manipulate the Small council in order to avoid the possibility of being in a dangerous situation, she'll do that too.
Meanwhile, Reek continues to prove his unfailing loyalty to Ramsay Snow, who has officially been recognized as a member of the Bolton family, and can rule the North under his father's name. His return to Moat Cailin pits him between his family and House Greyjoy, to whom he was previously faithful, and his new master. It's a difficult moment for Reek, who must pretend to be Theon but not let any of his old self creep back in, and his new identity is spotted almost immediately by his old soldiers. Alfie Allen is one of the show's unsung heroes, and his performance here is fantastic, with his confidence instantly dissolving, and the steady Theon Greyjoy gives way to shivering, snivelling Reek. And while it works out for him this time, thanks to a well-timed axe to the head, the constant push and pull between Theon and Reek seems poised to give way sometime soon, and we can't imagine it will work out well for him.
Over in Mereen, Daenerys and Ser Barristan discover that Jorah has not always been the loyal companion that he is, as a royal pardon arrives, signed by Robert Baratheon in exchange for Jorah's services. It doesn't matter to Dany how many times Jorah has protected her or the fact that he stopped spying after the crown sent assassins to kill her. He sold her secrets, and revealed that she was carrying Khal Drogo's child, and that is an offense that is unforgivable to her. The show's been holding onto his past treachery for some time now, waiting for the precise moment to let the other shoe drop, and it comes just after Jorah begins to suspect that Darrio might be replacing him in Dany's affections. If he thought he would be able to win her back before, that hope is gone now, and he rides off into the sunset alone, putting another character with shifting loyalties into play.
"The Mountain and the Viper" also manages to insert a few smaller moments about devotion and its consequences, with Sam's desire to protect Gilly coming back to bit him after the Night's Watch learns about the Wildling Raid on Mole's Town, and Sandor Clegane declaring Arya to be his "travelling companion" rather than his captive. Of course, that moment of friendship is punctuated by the news of Lysa's death, and Arya sums up all of the insanity, death and sadism of Westeros with peals of hysterical laughter.
Like every big episode this season, "The Mountain and the Viper" spends much of the episode catching us up on several different storylines before shifting all of its attention to one big moment. In this case, it works, as the Vale and King's Landing deservedly get the bulk of screentime, and the smaller changes and betrayals of the episode culminate in the big fight. Since next week's episode seems to be focusing primarily on the Wildlings' raid on the Wall, the episode leaves things in an interesting position, with the writers rushing forward some plots, leaving them with no more material from the books to draw on, and drawing out several others in order to build suspense. It's a risky choice, as it makes things a little more complicated for the writers next season, but we'll have to wait another two weeks to see if it's one that pays off.
In the meantime, though, we'll have to settle for the knowledge that even people in Westeros can quote The Princess Bride. Hopefully Hodor gets to do his Andre the Giant impression sometime soon.
Episode Grade: B,or Two Cousin Orsons Crushing Beetles in the Garden
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Actor Kevin Spacey is preparing to swap American politics for the British parliament after signing on to star as former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a new movie. The double Oscar winner will portray the U.K.'s great wartime leader in Captain of the Gate, an upcoming film which will document Churchill's rise to power, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Spacey is no stranger to political projects - he currently plays scheming Democrat Francis Underwood in the U.S. version of drama series House of Cards.
Churchill, who was Britain's Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 - and again from 1951 to 1955, has previously been portrayed on screen by Richard Burton (Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years); Simon Ward (Young Winston); Timothy West (Churchill and the Generals); Robert Hardy (Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years); Bob Hoskins (World War II: When Lions Roared); Albert Finney (The Gathering Storm), and Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm), while Timothy Spall played the Prime Minister in 2010's The King's Speech.

DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
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Andrew Lloyd Webber's new West End musical is to close after less than four months. The British theatre mogul launched Stephen Ward, based on the true story of a British politician's affair with the mistress of an alleged Russian spy, in December (13), but producers have confirmed the production is to close on 29 March (14), due to slow ticket sales.
Producer Robert Fox says, "I am very proud of the show and our wonderful company... I am very sad to see the show close in London but firmly believe this piece will be seen by many audiences in the future."
The story of the John Profumo affair previously hit the big screen in 1989 movie Scandal, which starred Joanne Whalley, Bridget Fonda, Ian McKellen and John Hurt.

Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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After Dark Films
It seems a bit odd to take on a movie review of Courtney Solomon's Getaway, as only in the loosest terms is Getaway actually a movie. We begin without questions — other than a vague and frustrating "What the hell is going on?" — and end without answers, watching Ethan Hawke drive his car into things (and people) for the hour and a half in between. We learn very little along the way, probed to engage in the mystery of the journey. But we don't, because there's no reason to.
There's not a single reason to wonder about any of the things that happen to Hawke's former racecar driver/reformed criminal — forced to carry out a series of felonious commands by a mysterious stranger who is holding his wife hostage — because there doesn't seem to be a single ounce of thought poured into him beyond what he see. We learn, via exposition delivered by him to gun-toting computer whiz Selena Gomez, that he "did some bad things" before meeting the love of his life and deciding to put that all behind him. Then, we stop learning. We stop thinking. We start crashing into police cars and Christmas trees and power plants.
Why is Selena Gomez along for the ride? Well, the beginnings of her involvement are defensible: Hawke is carrying out his slew of vehicular crimes in a stolen car. It's her car. And she's on a rampage to get it back. But unaware of what she's getting herself into, Gomez confronts an idling Hawke with a gun, is yanked into the automobile, and forced to sit shotgun while the rest of the driver's "assignments" are carried out. But her willingness to stick by Hawke after hearing his story is ludicrous. Their immediate bickering falls closer to catty sexual tension than it does to genuine derision and fear (you know, the sort of feelings you'd have for someone who held you up or forced you into accessorizing a buffet of life-threatening crimes).
After Dark Films
The "gradual" reversal of their relationship is treated like something we should root for. But with so little meat packed into either character, the interwoven scenes of Hawke and Gomez warming up to each other and becoming a team in the quest to save the former's wife serve more than anything else as a breather from all the grotesque, impatient, deliberately unappealing scenes of city wreckage.
And as far as consolidating the mystery, the film isn't interested in that either, as evidenced by its final moments. Instead of pressing focus on the answers to whatever questions we may have, the movie's ultimate reveal is so weak, unsubstantial, and entirely disconnected to the story entirely, that it seems almost offensive to whatever semblance of a film might exist here to go out on this note. Offensive to the idea of film and story in general, as a matter of fact. But Getaway isn't concerned with these notions. Not with story, character, logic, or humanity. It just wants to show us a bunch of car crashes and explosions. So you'd think it might have at least made those look a little better.
1/5
More Reviews:'The Hunt' Is Frustrating and Fantastic'You're Next' Amuses and Occasionally Scares'Short Term 12' Is Real and Miraculous
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Well the opening weekend speculation is over and the numbers are in! Disney's Iron Man 3 posted a massive $175.3 million opening weekend in North America in 4,253 theaters and in the process becomes the second biggest debut in industry history behind only Marvel's The Avengers $207.4 million debut exactly a year ago. Credit must go to a great marketing campaign, international numbers that fueled excitement around the world and most imortantly Robert Downey, Jr. whose indelible portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man is the spark that ignites the Marvel universe. Internationally the film has earned $504.8 million for a global total of $680.1 million after just 12 days in release!
We've got a bunch of stats for you and first up is IMAX whose very enviable problem was not enough seats for the huge demand for Iron Man 3 in the giant screen format.
Here's what the folks at IMAX had to say:
Thanks to IRON MAN 3, this weekend is a global IMAX record, as we'll generate nearly $30 mil from one movie for the first time in our company's 46 year history ($16.5 mil domestically and $13 mil internationally). The global cume for IRON MAN 3 in IMAX is estimated to be $40.2 mil as of Sunday evening. Dometically, IM3 delivered $16.5 mil on 326 screens for a fantastic per screen average of $50,600 (remember, we're single screen business). Our biggest issue: the vast majority of our shows were sold out. This is the the 2nd best domestic opening in IMAX history. Internationally, IRON MAN 3's IMAX results produced numerous records, generating approximately $13 mil this weekend on 267 IMAX screens for an outstanding per screen average of almost $50k. Again, sell out shows everywhere! This is made all the more encouraging considering over 100 of the screens were on their second weekend of the film, confirming IRON MAN 3's word of mouth is strong. There were record smashing IMAX openings in key territories, including China ($63k per screen), Russia ($72k per screen) and Ukraine ($46k per screen).
Now on to the big interntional story and some great information courtsey of Walt Disney Motion Pictures:
MARVEL’S IRON MAN 3 is projected to gross an estimated $175.3 million in its domestic debut, positioning it as the second-highest grossing debut of all time behind Marvel’s The Avengers. IRON MAN 3 will cross the $600M global box office threshold today after just 12 days of release, with an estimated global cume of $680.1M. Internationally, IRON MAN 3 has earned an estimated $504.8M. Disney has now crossed the $1B threshold at the international box office for 2013, the fastest the Studio has reached this milestone and the 19th consecutive year that Disney has crossed $1B at the international box office. MARVEL’S IRON MAN 3 (Marvel): DOMESTIC WKND ESTIMATE (May 3-5): $175.3M at 4,253 locations. Weekend theater average: $41,218.• Single-day estimates: $68.3M Friday (including Thursday night shows), $62.2M Saturday, $44.8M Sunday. INTERNATIONAL WKND ESTIMATE (May 3-5): $175.9MMARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is currently in release in 54 territories representing 100% of the international market. ESTIMATED DOMESTIC CUME: $175.3 MILLIONESTIMATED INTERNATIONAL CUME: $504.8 MILLIONESTIMATED GLOBAL CUME: $680.1 MILLION International Highlights:• Iron Man 3 has passed the total global box office of Iron Man ($585M), Iron Man 2 ($624M), Thor ($449M), and Captain America ($369M). • Internationally, Iron Man 3 has passed the total international box office of Captain America ($192M), Iron Man ($267M), Thor ($268M) and Iron Man 2 ($312M). • Biggest opening day of all time in China, Russia, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa, Ukraine.• Biggest opening weekend of all time in Asia Pacific and Latin America regions.• Biggest opening weekend of all time in Argentina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore , Thailand, South Africa, UAE.• Biggest Marvel opening weekend in China, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, Romania, New Zealand, Argentina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia. Performance to date – key territories China $63.5M Korea $42.6M UK $38.3M Mexico $35.8M Brazil $30.1M Australia $28.4M France $27.8M Russia $21.7M Italy $17.4M Japan $16.4M Taiwan $15.1M Philippines $12.3M Indonesia $10.6M HK $10.5M Malaysia $10.5M Germany $10.0M Other $113.8M Total $504.8M
Believe it or not there were actually other movies in theaters this weekend and here is the breakdown:
1. Iron Man 3 - $175.3 M/Weekend 1
2. Pain &amp; Gain - $7.6M/$33.9M - Weekend 2
3. 42 - $6.2M/$78.3M - Weekend 4
4. Oblivion - $5.8M/$76M - Weekend 3
5. The Croods - $4.2M/$168.7M - Weekend 7

"That's it?"
If you're a nerd like me, you have expectations for Marvel movie post-credit scenes. This makes the cap of Iron Man 3 rather peculiar. After two hours of sardonic '90s-style action that blows us back into our seats, Marvel fans know to stick around and silently pay respects to the eight billion visual effects artists who brought the whole thing to life, and to catch a thrust of fandom that ends the geek fest on a high note. We do get that in Iron Man 3 — but not in a way that lines up with the past. Change, in this case, is unsettling.
When Marvel Studios went independent and produced 2008's Iron Man, they made a bold move. After two hours of Robert Downey Jr. owning the character and a frenzy of comic book action, they set the tracks for an endless future of Marvel movies. Sam Jackson dropped the ultimate fan service bomb: "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."
Since then, every Marvel movie has boasted a post-credits cap that pushed the story forward. The Incredible Hulk tied Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark into the universe; Iron Man 2 saw the discovery of Thor's hammer, Mjolnir; Loki returned after the credits rolled on Thor; Captain America served up a direct Avengers lead in; and The Avengers itself threw in an out-of-nowhere glance at a fan favorite villain: Thanos, the big, purple, scary dude. We also saw the gang grab a quick post-Battle of New York bite at a local shawarma joint. A nice dash of Joss Whedon humor.
Now we have Iron Man 3, which knowingly passes on teasing the upcoming Thor: The Dark World or Captain America: The Winter Soldier in favor of pairing Tony Stark with his Avengers sparring partner, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Turns out, all that neo-noir voiceover we were hearing throughout the film? That's Stark's couch session with Banner, who reluctantly hears him out despite not having any background in psychology.
Early rumors suggested that the movie would be our first introduction to the world of Marvel's August 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. A particular armor design had fans wondering if Stark may leave Earth at the tail end of the film, flying off into space to confront Thanos. Or as savvy comic book readers speculated, cross paths with the Guardians.
But that didn't happen. Instead, we got something like the shawarma gag. The Stark/Banner therapy session is played mostly for laughs, and the "Hey, I remember him from Avengers!" factor. On a story level, it's perfect. Writer/director Shane Black has always embraced the voiceover technique in his past work, most prominently used in his previous Downey Jr. collaboration Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. In Iron Man 3, it's given a purpose. For Marvel fans, the Ruffalo cameo is enough to elicit a laugh. But in true Black fashion, it also works on a second level as a self-referential dig at the screenwriter's body of work.
Sticking with a short burst of comedy might be Marvel's way of reeling in the world-building. After the success of the Sam Jackson/Nick Fury Iron Man bumper, Iron Man 2 spiraled out of control with Avengers build up. Utilizing established characters in the Iron Man 3 bumper reels in the mythology expansion and keeps anticipation tempered. The Marvel Movie Universe is becoming more and more complicated with every installment. To make it digestible to casual fans (and avoid any false promises that they can't keep to watchful comic book obsessives), they need to be smart with the post-credit scenes.
Whether Marvel shot themselves in the foot by setting a precedent or separated themselves from the pack with a unique hook, every Marvel movie until the end of time will have an after-credits scene. As the beginning of "Phase Two," Iron Man 3 departs from the beaten path.
Was it for better or worse?
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
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A lot of times you hear about stars getting cast in major blockbuster franchises who actually weren't fans of that franchise before signing on. Even director J.J. Abrams has said repeatedly that he wasn't a fan of Star Trek before helming his 2009 reboot. But this is not the case with Alice Eve, who plays Dr. Carol Marcus in Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness (out May 17). When she was a little kid, her grandfather introduced her to The Original Series and she's remained a fan ever since.
"I liked Shatner, of course," Eve says at a press event for her new Tribeca Film Festival indie Some Velvet Morning. "But there's such an approachability to [Star Trek creator] Gene Roddenberry's genius. He hardly gets any credit, but he invented everything we use now. The communicators from The Original Series are basically just cell phones. Samsung won the lawsuit Apple filed against them [claiming Samsung's tablets infringed on the iPad's copyright] by showing that Star Trek had featured tablet computers years and years before the iPad. To say that you’re not a fan of Star Trek, is to say that you’re not a fan of everything that services you in our society. Which you may not be, but in that case, good luck to you."
With that level of fandom, it was no trouble picking Eve's brain for her favorite Trek episode, and she offered up her fave without hesitation: "Charlie X" from The Original Series. "It’s one of the earliest episodes from Season 1," Eve says. "I love Charlie [played by Robert Walker, Jr.] and the way he's a little kid in a teenager's body, acting out tantrums. And that moment when Shatner leans in to give Charlie some advice, because Charlie’s in love with Yeoman Rand and he thinks he’s never going to get her, it’s so great. Shatner says, 'Be gentle and go slow.' Have there ever been better words of advice given to a young man in love?"
Eve's fandom is primarily limited to The Original Series, and she doesn't claim to be as familiar with its spinoffs, or even its previous movie incarnations. "I can’t say that I know the lexicon as intimately as a lot of people, so I may be unworthy of being called a Trekkie," says Eve. "That would be doing a disservice to the people who really are Trekkies. But what drew me to Star Trek originally is how intelligently thought out a universe it is, and that's also why I'm so happy to be a part of this film."
She shouldn't be so hard on herself. Anyone who's this enthusiastic about Trek deserves at the very least to be an "honorary Trekkie."
Check back soon for more from Eve on her daring new film, Some Velvet Morning.
Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt
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